ORIGINAL: vodka_man
when people say "370 380, 400" motor, those numbers do they actually represent the number of watts that the engine consumes at it's peak?
No. Nothing of the kind.
The way motors are named is pretty arbitrary. It is almost never watts. I think "370 380, 400" are approximations of the can lengths of some cheap brushed motors. My GWS E-Starter has a stock GWS "350" motor with a gearbox. I put a much more powerful brushless Typhoon 15/10 on my Formosa.
Do you have any big fields with long hay nearby? That is what I used for a safety blanket when I started flying my E-Starter, after a few months of flying every plane I had on my simulator. It did not prevent damage but it reduced it a bit.